


The Etymology of Names

by langsdelijn



Series: mersisdes [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/F, Female Lewis Hamilton, Female Nico Rosberg, Gen, Genderswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 22:38:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3357866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/langsdelijn/pseuds/langsdelijn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A first meeting, and a later recollection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Etymology of Names

Nico’s dad had left her here in the lobby and told her to stay there while he went off and did something. A few minutes later, the other girl and a man who was presumably her father had come in, and she’d been parked on the opposite row. Then he also disappeared into the building where apparently kids, weren’t allowed to go or even know what was going on. 

Nico curiously observed the other girl, and watched as she, in turn, intently studied her. Her dad had given her a cursory overview of the new kids in the competition, and this girl’s name was apparently Lewis, though Nico was certain she must have misheard that, or maybe her dad had misspoken, because it was a name for boys. She wondered if probably-not-Lewis was thinking the same about her.

The other girl was the first to break the silence. ‘Aren’t you Keke Rosberg’s daughter?’ she asked. 

Nico nodded. She’d been expecting and quietly dreading that question, but then the girl’s tone had been politely inquisitive, not accusatory or sceptical. As if it was just a fact of life, not the first strike against her skills after being a girl.

‘Cool,’ the girl said. ‘Your dad’s a world champion! And I heard you were pretty good, too,’ she added.

‘Thank you,’ Nico said, a little taken aback. ‘I don’t know that much about you,’ she confessed. ‘Sorry.’

The girl shrugged. ‘I’m good too,’ she said confidently.

‘Oh, okay,’ Nico said, then worried if that was the wrong thing to say. But the girl didn’t seem to mind, so maybe it was okay after all. ‘Um. I’m Nico, but I guess you know that,’ she tried instead, offering her hand for a handshake. 

‘Lewis,’ the girl said, taking it.

‘Is your name really _Lewis_?’ Nico asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

‘It’s technically Louise,’ she explained, with the insistent emphasis on her name of someone who’d had to explain this very often. Nico wondered if people pronounced it any other way, that she’d need to. ‘But everyone calls me Lewis now.’

‘Why?’

‘A _lot_ of people used to say _Lou_ ise instead, and then someone misheard and threw a fit about a _girl_ named _Lewis_. And it caught on, I dunno. So now I’m Lewis Hamilton instead.’

‘Does it bother you? I mean, isn’t it a boys’ name?’

Lewis shrugged. ‘I’m used to it. Anyway, isn’t _your_ name Nico?’

Nico snorted. ‘Nicolette Erika Rosberg,’ she scoffed, ‘who has time for a name that long?’

Lewis giggled. ‘ _Nicolette?_ ’

‘My parents thought I’d be a boy. They had a nice, simple name picked out. Nico Erik. And when I turned out to be a girl, they didn’t want to give it up. I’m lucky they didn’t go with Nike.’

‘You mean like the brand?’ Lewis asked, scandalised.

‘It was meant like the goddess,’ Nico corrected, and instantly regretted it. Lewis’ outrage at the mere idea was refreshing, and she was afraid that hearing the reasoning behind it might soften her stance, because it had been “meant well”, as other people—who had not narrowly escaped being walking product placement—were fond of reminding her. ‘But yeah, like the brand.’

‘You’re kidding!’ Lewis gasped, wide-eyed with horror. ‘I hope that wasn’t your parents’ idea!’ 

‘I know!’ Nico wailed, glad to find a kindred spirit. Her parents insisted that the suggestion had come from a passing nurse, but she didn’t think it made sense as a family anecdote if it had just been a throwaway comment from a stranger. Nico secretly suspected that the anonymous nurse was being scapegoated for the terrible taste of an acquaintance or relative. 

‘I can’t believe _Keke Rosberg_ almost called his daughter _Nike_ ,’ Lewis muttered, as if this revelation had caused him to fall significantly in her estimation. Lewis’ spirited defence of Nico’s right not to have a ridiculous name even hypothetically was cementing her in Nico’s opinion as one of her new heroines. 

‘Yeah,’ Nico agreed, although she’d had her whole life to get used to it. 

‘Why Nico?’ Lewis asked a moment later.

‘Oh, you know,’ Nico began, although she wasn’t sure if Lewis did know, since she was English and all, ‘it’s all different in different languages, Nicolette, Colette, Nicole,’ she did an exaggerated demonstration of each in German, French and English to prove her point. ‘And Nico’s mostly just Nico. I insisted they called me that and refused to listen to Nicolette at all.’

‘Ooh, that’s good,’ Lewis said. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement and she was smiling broadly. Nico grinned back. 

*

‘You’ve known each other a long time. I mean, tell me, can you remember the first time you actually met? Where were you, what were you doing, how old were you?’

Of course we remember the first time we met, Nico thought. I always will.

‘Yeah, I don’t remember when we met, man,’ Lewis dismissed. ‘That’s the kind of thing you remember when you meet your lady or something,’ she clarified, unconcerned. Nico knew she was joking (it was the only time she’d brought up the name), but it still hurt to hear Lewis take the moment so lightly. And she’d unknowingly stumbled across the key difference in their memories and starkly laid bare the reason why. 

Lewis rambled her way through her answer. ‘So you just don’t care or what?’ Nico broke in, when Lewis turned to her with that teasing smile. She hadn’t meant to. She tried to salvage some of her dignity by doubling down, to show she was in on the joke, ‘What kind of answer is that, huh? That’s not very nice, is it?’ 

‘Ah, I knew she would get emotional,’ Lewis said, and smiled. Nico laughed, playing her part. Lewis turned serious again. ‘I think it was ’97,’ she said, giving Nico a significant look.

**Author's Note:**

> All the lines in the second segment were ~~painstakingly~~ transcribed from [this interview here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jObiAeqzrZ8), from back in 2013.


End file.
